Chen Xiao hadn't expected Lin Zhengyang to go to such lengths to please the Ye family and target him. He couldn't help but frown slightly and said with a cold, sarcastic tone:
"Your father is truly a business fanatic, personally arranging my orders even when his own grandson is hospitalized. Don't worry, since he's delivered the goods himself, I'll certainly give him a warm welcome, hehe."
As he spoke, he couldn't be bothered to listen to Lin Meiqi's tearful complaints any longer and directly hung up the phone. He then turned to Yan Su and instructed:
"Dr. Yan, to expedite the shipment, this batch of Xumi Jiezi Paste hasn't been individually packaged. Please be extremely careful about fire during transport, as its ignition point is very low."
Yan Su, having witnessed the miraculous effects of Xumi Jiezi Paste a few days prior, was eager to get it transported. He replied without hesitation:
"This batch of Xumi Jiezi Paste isn't going to market anyway, it's for internal use. No individual packaging is even better!"
He paused, then deliberately avoided the gaze of outsiders like Leng Shan and Luo Lin, patting his chest to assure Chen Xiao:
"Dr. Chen, rest assured, the Xumi Jiezi Paste will be trialed by the border troops in the Northern Territory as quickly as possible. Once successful, payment will be settled with you immediately. The Dragon King will also expedite all procedures for your market listing and patent application. Oh, and here's the purchase contract. You can fill in the amount yourself. Given the medicinal value of Xumi Jiezi Paste, whatever amount you write should be approved."
With that, he generously handed Chen Xiao a hastily prepared standard contract.
Chen Xiao had already calculated the costs of raw materials and labor for mass production of Xumi Jiezi Paste. After a cursory glance at the contract, he filled in the payment amount in the blank space.
"2.1 million yuan?"
Yan Su couldn't help but be taken aback, asking in disbelief:
"Dr. Chen, did you miss a zero? Didn't you say that the raw medicinal materials alone for this batch of hand-produced Xumi Jiezi Paste cost two million? What about labor costs? Patent fees? With the immense market prospects of Xumi Jiezi Paste, only a profit of a hundred thousand yuan on a two-million-yuan material investment… this is… this is too outrageous!"
Yan Su had harbored thoughts of managing a pharmaceutical factory after his retirement a while ago. He was well aware that the pricing of market drugs included research and development costs, as the emergence of a new drug was inseparable from costly R&D. Simply put, the better the efficacy of a new drug, the more money was burned in its early development.
To Yan Su's knowledge, even for ancestral prescriptions that required no upfront R&D investment for mass production and market capture, external pharmaceutical factories would add exorbitant patent fees to their pricing.
He believed that given the miraculous efficacy of Xumi Jiezi Paste, adding several hundred, a thousand, or even tens of thousands of yuan per vial as patent fees would not be unreasonable.
Chen Xiao was, of course, aware of the customary pricing practices of external pharmaceutical factories for new drugs. However, Xumi Jiezi Paste was a ready-made prescription recorded in the "Wuzi Jinfang" (Wordless Golden Prescription), which entailed no upfront R&D fees or patent fees. His preparation of the medicinal guide merely consumed some physical strength and energy. Influenced by Chen Qing's upbringing, he possessed the benevolent heart of a physician, prioritizing healing the sick and saving lives, with making money being secondary. Thus, he shook his head without hesitation and said:
"I've calculated that a two-million-yuan investment in Chinese medicinal materials can produce about 2.5 million vials of Xumi Jiezi Paste. The cost per vial is about eighty cents. I'm already making a substantial profit by charging you an extra hundred thousand yuan. After all, even when it's eventually sold on the market, I don't plan to exceed a wholesale price of eighty-five cents per vial, with the retail price uniformly set at one yuan per vial."
"Xumi Jiezi Paste, hailed as a 'kidney stone nemesis' and an 'external trauma pain relief miracle drug,' priced at one yuan per vial?"
Yan Su was once again stunned speechless:
"Dr. Chen… Dr. Chen, are you trying to rewrite global medical history?"
Chen Xiao naturally replied:
"Shouldn't the current situation where ordinary people fall ill and have to empty their wallets or even go bankrupt be changed?"
"This…"
Yan Su was utterly convinced by Chen Xiao. After a long pause, his eyes reddened as he said:
"Dr. Chen, from this day forward, if you have any requests, just command me. Though I, Yan Su, may not have much ability, as long as you don't mind, I will follow your lead without regret, even unto death!"
Chen Xiao said with a wry smile:
"Don't get overly emotional. The goods are already loaded. You should hurry and get busy. I need to prepare and head to work."
The reason Chen Xiao urged Yan Su to leave quickly was to prepare to deal with Lin Zhengyang, as, by his calculations, Lin Zhengyang should be arriving soon.
Indeed, shortly after Yan Su's three trucks departed, Lin Zhengyang arrived with a grand procession of nearly thirty large trucks, forming a long, imposing line outside the main entrance of Jinfang Pharmaceuticals.
Judging by the license plates, these trucks covered over twenty prefecture-level cities under Sanhai Province, with two even coming from a neighboring province.
Through Lin Meiqi, Lin Zhengyang already knew that Chen Xiao was very young. However, upon seeing Chen Xiao in person, he was still astonished. He could never have dreamed that Chen Xiao would appear even younger than his own grandson, Long Xiaolin.
"How could such a young lad, still wet behind the ears, manage to acquire Jinfang Pharmaceuticals before the Ye family?"
Lin Zhengyang was filled with doubt, unable to fathom it. He decided to temporarily set aside his confusion and spoke with feigned magnanimity:
"Young Boss Chen, I've specially arranged for nearly thirty million yuan worth of Chinese medicinal materials from all over the province for your company this time. But rest assured, I've always been someone who addresses urgent needs. Moreover, you're friends with my Meiqi, so the additional expenses for sourcing these materials are on me. I'll still sell them to you at the lowest market price."
With that, he chuckled and handed Chen Xiao the list.
"What? Nearly thirty million?"
Chen Xiao feigned surprise as he took the list and repeatedly shook his head, saying:
"Boss Lin, did you make a mistake? I asked Auntie Lin to arrange for three million yuan worth of Chinese medicinal materials, not thirty million!"
As he spoke, Chen Xiao cast a helpless glance at Luo Lin beside him, his eyes full of theatrical acting.
Lin Zhengyang knew that Luo Lin was someone from Ye Tie Zhu's side and had no concerns about her not helping him. Thus, he also feigned surprise and said:
"No mistake, Luo Lin told me personally yesterday that you needed another thirty to fifty million yuan worth of goods and that you were in a hurry. She said if I couldn't deliver on time, it would be a breach of contract. Right, Luo Lin?"
Lin Zhengyang clearly hadn't expected things to progress so smoothly, and his excitement was evident in his expression as he looked at Luo Lin.
However, Luo Lin shook her head with a half-smile without a second thought and said:
"Boss Lin, you must be mistaken. Yesterday, Dr. Chen asked me to relay that you should prepare three million yuan worth of goods, not thirty or fifty million."
"You…"
Lin Zhengyang was suddenly dumbfounded, racking his brain to understand Luo Lin's actions. He couldn't help but curse inwardly:
"You big-breasted, brainless idiot! Are you Chen Xiao's person or Ye Tie Zhu's? With victory within reach, why are you suddenly acting foolish? Damn it!"
Chen Xiao didn't give Lin Zhengyang a chance to think and picked up Luo Lin's words with a half-smile:
"Boss Lin, Auntie Lin is from your company. Even she says you made a mistake. Even if this went to court, the responsibility wouldn't fall on me, would it? I won't hide it from you, I only have five million yuan in my account. If you're willing, you can leave five million yuan worth of goods, and I'll have to trouble you to take the rest back, hehe."
"I…"
Lin Zhengyang stammered, unwillingly saying:
"Chen Xiao, these Chinese medicinal materials are very difficult to sell. If I take them back, I won't be able to get rid of them…"
Chen Xiao chuckled and pretended to be helpful, interrupting Lin Zhengyang:
"Isn't that simple? If you're worried about not being able to sell them when you take them back, then leave them all here. But I'll only pay five million yuan for the goods. The rest will have to wait until I have more funds, then I'll pay you."
Lin Zhengyang's mouth twitched, and with a dark expression, he asked:
"And how long will it take for you to have more funds?"
Chen Xiao said without hesitation:
"That's hard to say. It could be three to five months, or maybe seven to eight months."
"I… I'll call my partner first to discuss it."
Lin Zhengyang was completely at a loss. He hastily uttered these words and then quickly hid in a secluded corner to call Ye Tie Zhu.
It was still dark, and Ye Tie Zhu should have been asleep. Lin Zhengyang called more than a dozen times before finally getting through. He gradually became enraged and no longer feared offending Ye Tie Zhu, saying indignantly:
"Ye Tie Zhu, are you playing me? Isn't Luo Lin your person? Why is she speaking for Jinfang Pharmaceuticals instead? Because of that cheap woman's lack of distinction between friend and foe, nearly thirty million yuan worth of Chinese medicinal materials that we worked all night to procure are now stuck in our hands!"
After cursing fiercely, he reluctantly recounted his experience at Jinfang Pharmaceuticals.
On the other end of the line, Ye Tie Zhu hesitated for a moment before saying:
"Didn't the guy surnamed Chen agree to take all the goods? With Luo Lin as his mole, coupled with my Ye family's methods in Juxian City, even if he had eight months, he wouldn't be able to get that much money. That way, wouldn't he be in breach of contract?"
Lin Zhengyang also believed that under the fierce suppression of Jiuding Pharmaceuticals, Chen Xiao's Jinfang Pharmaceuticals would be unable to turn the Chinese medicinal materials in hand into money. However, the thought of Luo Lin's gaze towards Chen Xiao made him can't help but remind Ye Tie Zhu:
"Director Ye, it's not that I don't trust your Ye family, it's just that Luo Lin's relationship with Chen Xiao seems too unusual. Aren't you worried about Luo Lin betraying you? You might not believe it, but even I find Chen Xiao extremely handsome. And Luo Lin is a woman…"
"Impossible!"
Ye Tie Zhu interrupted Lin Zhengyang without a second thought:
"Luo Lin will never betray me. Just do as I say! Besides, less than thirty million yuan is a small amount. My Ye family doesn't care about it at all."
"Al… alright."
Lin Zhengyang hadn't spent a dime anyway. After hanging up the phone, he resumed negotiations with Chen Xiao:
"Young Boss Chen, I can leave all the goods here, but you must sign an IOU and guarantee payment within three months…"
Chen Xiao frowned slightly and interrupted Lin Zhengyang unceremoniously:
"Boss Lin, have you misunderstood our relationship of demand? It's you who are worried about not being able to sell the excess goods if you take them back, which is why I've reluctantly allowed you to leave them here temporarily. It's not like I'm begging you to leave them."
"You…"
Lin Zhengyang was speechless. After a long pause, he said unwillingly:
"Even so, it's a fact that you owe me for the goods, isn't it? Since it's a debt, shouldn't you sign an IOU and agree on a repayment deadline?"
Chen Xiao said with a playful expression:
"Alright, alright. For your daughter's sake, I'll write you an IOU, agreeing to settle the payment within thirty years."
"Pfft—"
Luo Lin couldn't hold back and burst out laughing on the spot.
Lin Zhengyang's face turned even darker, and he almost spat out blood. But seeing Luo Lin's schadenfreude, he decided it was pointless to make himself unhappy. He thought to himself:
"Even Ye Tie Zhu's woman has an attitude of standing by and watching, so why should I be a busybody? Besides, the money for sourcing the materials wasn't mine, it was Ye Tie Zhu's!"
With this thought, Lin Zhengyang quickly finalized an IOU with Chen Xiao with a repayment term of thirty years and then began arranging for the movers accompanying the trucks to unload the goods.